Festivals & Events

10th Annual CaliRoots Festival is on May 24th-26th, 2019 at Monterey Fair Grounds in Monterey California. Full line-up available and also just added is Koffee who will be making her debut performance at CaliRoots Festival. For Tickets and More information visit- http://www.californiarootsfestival.com

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NATTALI RIZE RELEASES EMPOWERING NEW MUSIC VIDEO ?EVOLUTIONARY? ON JANUARY 17TH, 2019

OFF ROOTFIRE COOPERATIVE/BACO RECORDS

Working across multiple continents, Nattali Rize continues her mission to empower and inspire collective freedom through her new music video ?Evolutionary?. In a male driven genre, two strong female reggae artists shine to paint a picture of a bright future for women in 2019. The thought provoking video was shot in the dynamic city of Kingston, Jamaica. A standout track from Nattali?s debut album Rebel Frequency, ?Evolutionary? features wise and intuitive words from Jah9 and the rebellious intellect of Dre Islandon a tuff riddim from UK heavyweight producer Lotek. An international all-star Rebel line up have teamed up for this one!

Reflecting on the song, Nattali Rize says, "Revolution is the evolution of our consciousness and mind, meaning the more we know and love ourselves, the more we are able to know and love another. We start to understand that our daily words, thoughts, feelings and actions are our powers to create a future we want to see, to free our own minds from the overarching slave systems of society thereby elevating a portion of human consciousness and showing others that everything is possible. Dre Island and Jah9 were a joy to collaborate with and are real Evolutionary artists, along with this undeniably tuff riddim from the super talented Lotek, the energy infused in this audio visual expression is potent and necessary for sharing our side of the common story of life on earth in this evolving time.?

Following an extended creative stay in Kingston in 2014, Nattali now lives where the music takes her. Modern technology and a tireless world travel schedule have broken down artistic barriers, allowing her 2017 Rebel Frequency album to be put together between the cultural hubs of Kingston, Jamaica, and Australia. The term ?social change? is not quite enough for Nattali, her thinking is more along the lines of ?full systemic overhaul!? with Rebel Frequency Nattali declares ?We?re here to deliver a different frequency to what is being transmitted by the current world system and culture of consumerism and mental slavery. Our words, melodies, rhythms, and intentions are to empower and inspire full freedom ? that frequency is a rebel in this paradigm.?

Already building a strong impression with established artists and events, Nattali Rize?s message is not only about building up your own mental and spiritual freedom, but standing up and resisting the oppression of others. She has already seen high praise from top-tier outlets such as Rolling Stone, NPR, and Yahoo Music.

Rebel Frequency was written and recorded at the legendary Tuff Gong Studios with additional recording at home studios Rize built in both Kingston and Australia. The Album sees Nattali teaming up with renowned musicians Unga Barunga (drums), Jason Welsh (bass), Phillip ?Winta? James(keyboards), Stephen ?Reverend? Maxwell (keyboards), Lamont ?Monty? Savory (guitars), and Tammi T Moncrieffe (backing vocals). Long time Rize collaborator Carlo Santone aka CR38OR oversees production on the project, which also includes productions from the likes of Notis Heavyweightrockaz (JA). The freedom provided by multiple studios and producers allowed Nattali to continue working on the album around her busy touring schedule, making sure no moment of inspiration fell through the cracks.

The songs on Rebel Frequency speak powerful volumes, urging the listener?s attention to tune in. According to Nattali, the album symbolizes ?the current evolution of the frequencies we are forming and amplifying as musician, artist, and human. It?s about continuing to expand and extend our musical inspiration and connection to our global family.?

Nattali Rize has already created quite the stir on an international level, and will hit the road this February for a US tour with GRAMMY nominated band Common Kings! Fans can expect epic, high energy, thought provoking and uplifting live performances. The music, message & intention transcends. Get ready to be moved!

Rocky Dawuni, the international music star/global ambassador and humanitarian activist, announces the release of his highly anticipated 7th studio album Beats of Zion, out March 8th, 2019 via Six Degrees Distribution. The thirteen-track set follows the GRAMMY nominated album Branches of the Same Tree, (?Best Reggae Album? in 2016) and expands Rocky?s ?Afro Roots? sound to include the diversity of the Ghanaian music scene and its current global outreach.

Although Rocky?s music has had CNN naming him ?Africa?s Top 10 global stars? and Ziggy Marley stating ?Rocky?s music is a creative inspiration that knows no boundaries,? it?s only one part of what drives his mass appeal. Dawuni?s eloquence, cultural diplomacy and passionate activism have led him to become a moving spokesperson for various global causes. Recently, Rocky was designated a UN Goodwill Ambassador for Africa at a beautiful concert at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya in August 2018 held during the Global Landscapes Forum with dignitaries from all over the world. This is on top of the social campaigns and activism he?s done including work with Product (RED), ONE, UNICEF, The Carter Center, Clean Cooking Alliance and the United Nations Foundation. Additionally, with UNESCO?s recent designation of Reggae music as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Rocky Dawuni represents one of the leading African global voices of Reggae.

Rocky?s travels around the world helped shape the new album Beats of Zion. He elaborates, ?Beats of Zion was born out of my desire to use my diverse global musical influences and exposure to various traditions to paint a multi-cultural musical vision of the world that I perceive. The beginning of the year saw me visit Ethiopia and India. In Ethiopia, I visited Lalibela, witnessing ancient Christian rites and my journeys in India also exposed me to its diverse spiritual culture and the shared similarities I saw to Africa.? He adds, ?The title Beats of Zion is inspired by a vision of the drumbeat of awareness and elevation of consciousness; a musical call to arms for my audience to be proactive in this day and age as to each person?s responsibility to be an active instrument for positive change.?

The album was recorded in the span of almost 2 years in various studios in Accra, Nairobi and Los Angeles. In LA, Rocky was gifted studio time at the legendary Village Studios that has recorded the most influential artists including Bob Dylan, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, and Fleetwood Mac. Rocky ended up recording in the same studio room that Fleetwood Mac used and created the magic of the title track and ?Wickedest Sound.? Rocky found out that Fleetwood Mac were one of the memorable American classic rock bands to visit Ghana in the 1970s making the experience more special and inspired the Ghanaian traditional highlife song ?Kyenkyen Bi Adi Mawu? as a homage to his heritage. These 3 tracks recorded at Village Studios kicked off the entire album making process.

The title track and lead single ?Beats of Zion? came out well from the Village Studios session, but was missing something on the drum tracking. Rocky states, ?We traveled to Zanzibar for a concert shortly after the recording session. At the time, I was still wanting the full African tribal effect that I had imagined. On the eve of my concert at the amazing Sauti za Busara Festival, we saw Batimbo Percussion Magique of Burundi mount the stage and blow the minds of everyone in the audience. I turned to my manager; Cary Sullivan who was also watching and we thought the same ? ?these are the guys for Beats of Zion? and so the story unfolded.? The lead single will also have an accompanying video due out early January. ?Wickedest Sound? is another song that speaks volumes, featuring Ghanaian dancehall star Stonebwoy. The track combines elements of modern Afrobeats with Reggae music. With production paying homage to the organic recordings of classic Highlife music, it also combines a groove driven melodic approach with the traditional call and response style of singing.

?Kyenkyen Bi Adi Mawu? is a sprawling remake of the Highlife classic originally recorded by Ghanaian maestro K. Frimpong. This re-imagined version pays homage to Rocky?s Ghanaian legacy and he brought in an international cast of musicians from the US, Belize, Cuba, Ghana and Brazil to expand the traditional sound boundaries of this track. Ghanaian lyricist Sarkodie?srap melds current traditional pop elements to make this song an opus of sounds, harmonies and sweet melodies. ?Let?s Go? fuses pop sensibilities, Reggae and the grooves of New Orleans to create a feel good anthem of forward mobility and positive vibrations. The hand claps add an organic Gospel feel to this exhilarating song. Other tracks that show more dimensions to the album include the Cumbia inspired dancehall track ?Freedom Train? featuring Argentinian Dancehall star Alika and ?Burn One? that is an homage to the social transformative power of the legalization of marijuana in the spheres of medicine, recreational use and as a primary tool for economic emancipation. There will be beautiful high quality videos coming out for many of the tracks on the album including ?Elevation? which was shot on location in southern India. It is an inspirational groove filled with a message of hope and uses the traditional Rastafarian Nyabinghi sounds. ?Champion Arise,? a track that easily fits into the current roots reggae revival sound, paints a spiritual picture with biblical imagery and inspirational lyrics about spiritual warfare for the upliftment of all people. The diversity and features found on the new album are in step with Rocky?s vision of constantly evolving the boundaries of his sounds and expanding its global palettes and reach.

In a time when divisive rhetoric is on the rise and the political climate prefers to build walls over bridges, Rocky?s album Beats of Zion is a refreshing message about global unity and a worldview of oneness. Rocky passionately states, ?We live in a time when the elements of international morality need to be proclaimed as a guiding principle for how we engage and deal with each other, between individuals, between communities and among nations. It is a time for global mobilization for action on challenging socio-political issues like the environment and the refugee crisis. Beats of Zion is the drumbeat of war against apathy and re-energizing the forces of love and hope.? He concludes, ?Beats of Zion is the rhythm of change beating from a distance and getting louder to awaken positive consciousness.?

Somewhere between the charisma of Frank Sinatra, the empathetic tone of Bob Marley and the smooth and sultry vocal runs of Lauryn Hill, lives the warm and kind voice of Sammy Johnson. The Australian native, New Zealand-bred soulful reggae star has just dropped his new EP Moonlight Lovers, on Friday, December 14th off Mensch House Records! Today the new album debuted at #1 on the iTunes reggae charts in both Australia & New Zealand, and reached #7 on all new albumreleases in iTunes New Zealand!

A celebration of island reggae music, all of the songs on Moonlight Lovers were played and produced by Polynesian artists and musicians. Sammy says,?This is by far my favourite body of work because from concept to finish I was able to create exactly what I had dreamed of doing. During the process, I reconnected with people and my heritage and created new memories.?

Growing up with an Australian mother and a Polynesian father, Sammy always felt a disconnect with his Polynesian side, he says, ?I looked more polynesian but that was the extent of my knowledge, until one day a friend of mine gave me an album that basically opened me up to a whole world of music and culture I never knew. The album was Gratitude by Fiji.? Inspired by his Polynesian heritage, Sammy used old Polynesian folklore from Sina and the Eel (Samoa), Pana of the reef (Maori), Hinemoa & Tutanekai (Maori) and many others to tell the stories through song. Sammy says, ?For me the writing process is all about being in the right space and being open to whatever is speaking to my soul at that time.?

Standout tracks on Moonlight Lovers include the lovely first song ?Fools,? Sammy?s smooth voice serenades over a calming island strum in the background. The title track of the album, ?Moonlight Lovers? is an alluring duet with Etana about falling deeply in love. Sammy croons ?You and I, until the sun goes down again.? ?Getting Over You? will get listeners hips? swinging to the dubby and catchy song about a trying to get over a long lost love, featuring Etana and NomaD.

Sammy has remained busy releasing a constant influx of music since his breakthrough self-titled 2014 EP, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Reggae Charts. He has since seen an organic growth as a result of his hard work and dedication to his craft, working as a music therapist social worker to a touring soul artist thanks in part to his first viral video ?Don?t Say Goodbye.? Since his debut, Sammy Johnson has since enjoyed multiple sold-out performances and large festival appearances, and released his critically acclaimed EP ?Sleepwalker? earlier this year. With the release of his new soulful EP Moonlight Lovers, Sammy Johnson is finding his way onto the radars of many.